Young Taiwan scholar Liu Chi-ho was invited to attend the Wenling Forum. Courtesy of respondents
Quanzhou, 2 Dec (Zhongxin.com) -- "From the frequent exchanges of beliefs and customs in the original townships of Fujian and Taiwan, it can be seen that the divine relationship of traditional Chinese culture is one of the characteristics that embody the common feelings of the same people on both sides of the strait. Liu Zhihao, a young Taiwanese scholar who teaches in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, said that based on common beliefs, people on both sides of the strait can eliminate prejudices and work together to form cultural identity and new historical memory.
In the eyes of Liu Zhihao, who has long studied the beliefs of overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese, local society, regional culture, and other fields, the palaces and temples in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, are numerous, the gods are diverse, and most of them have ties to Taiwan, which is an important link between the two sides of the strait and is also of great help to his fieldwork of gods on both sides of the strait.
Fieldwork is a habit that Liu Zhihao retained when he studied at The Truth University in Taiwan, and it is also the origin of his love for religious and folk culture studies. After graduating with a master's degree, he studied in the mainland and studied for a Ph.D. in the Department of Philosophy and The Department of Religious Studies at Peking University, and is currently an associate professor in the Department of History at the School of Literature and Communication of Quanzhou Normal University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Liu Zhihao (left) with the 15th generation Chinese Lin Zhen knife of the Kagoshima Lin family in Japan. Courtesy of respondents
On paper, I finally realized that I had to do something about it. Liu Zhihao believes that fieldwork is an excellent means for him to sort out the historical context, excavate local culture, and relax. "On the surface, we are very familiar with China's history and where we grew up, but every time we walk into a township, we often feel very strange, many monuments and customs are missing in books, they are precious and on the verge of disappearing, and we need to understand and excavate through fieldwork."
In 2018, Liu Zhihao came down to teach at Quanzhou Normal University by chance and met the ancient city of Quanzhou, and his fieldwork also began.
"In a fieldwork, I found that the Lantern Lantern Customs in Dongshi Town, Jinjiang, Fujian Province, and Dongshi Township, Chiayi, Taiwan are extremely similar, and used this as a clue to investigate the common beliefs of the people of Dongshi on both sides of the strait, to reveal the cultural community connection between the original beliefs and customs of their ancestral hometowns, and finally analyzed the significance of local traditional folk customs to the cultural identity and inheritance of the people on both sides of the strait." Liu Zhihao said.
Liu Zhihao gave a lecture on bamboo forests at quanzhou normal college where he taught. Courtesy of respondents
In view of the question of how the two sides of the strait can generate cultural identity in the exchange of religion and belief, Liu Zhihao suggested that it is necessary to inherit the connection between local religions and cultures on both sides of the strait, promote the refinement of religious industries on both sides of the strait, establish a religious and cultural folk think tank for coordination and cooperation, deepen the exchange mechanism for religious charity relief and exchange between the two sides, and promote the spiritual unity and mutual understanding of compatriots on both sides of the strait.
Liu Zhihao pointed out that the current model of the god friendship organized by the palaces and temples on both sides of the strait will become an integrated energy that condenses the religious culture on both sides of the strait, and this bridge can be used to expand the homogeneous religious and cultural exchanges between Quantai and Taiwan.
"Since the outbreak of the epidemic, cross-strait temple entity exchanges have been completely stagnant, but the exchanges between the cross-strait gods have not been broken, but have been exchanged by online video." Liu Zhihao reminded that face-to-face exchanges are still very important for cross-strait emotional ties. It is not easy to complete cross-strait exchange activities in the post-epidemic period, even if the online model is adopted, there is still a precedent for cancellation, and it is hoped that the form of physical exchange can be resumed after the epidemic.
During the lecture, Liu Zhihao focused on the origin of folk religion and folk belief, used the interesting facts in the fieldwork to arouse the students' enthusiasm for learning, encouraged the students to go out of the textbook, conducted field research, and helped them better understand folk culture and recognize the essence of religion or folk culture.
"In the next few years, I will spend a few years to investigate and sort out the diverse forms of religion and culture in Quanzhou." Liu Zhihao said that he will further think about how to deepen the development of cross-strait non-governmental exchanges and re-analyze the road of innovation in cross-strait non-governmental exchanges. (End)
Source: China News Network